good morning, america. i'm george stephanopoulos. >> and i'm robin roberts. it is tuesday, september 7th. and this morning, flood fears and firestorm. hermine rolls ashore. dumping as much as a foot of rain as 1,000 homes are evacuated out west as a fire rages. we have the latest on it all. and in the hot seat. for the first time, a new abc news/"washington post" poll shows the majority of americans disapprove of how president obama is handling his job. two months from election day, our frustration index takes a big jump. and royal recordings. did british tabloids secretly listen in on princess diana's most intimate conversations? and look out. five states sue the government over these foreign invaders. flying fish. can they be stopped before they take over?

>> that's pretty much all of it in a nutshell, isn't it, george? hope everyone had a fantastic holiday weekend. it's kind of like the unofficial start of fall. >> we're back. >> great to be back with everyone. it's very much hurricane season. how about that tropical storm coming across down south in texas. it rolled across, hermine. could dump as much as 12 inches of rain as far north as kansas, before it's done. and out west, hundreds of families spent the night away from home, as firefighters battled a raging wildfire. we'll have all of the details. >> we'll dig in our new abc news/"the washington post" poll, shows a political hurricane in the white house. the president had a fiery speech and a flurry of proposals. but is it too late to help his party keep control of congress? with two months to go until midterms, voters say they favor

the republican over the democratic candidate in their congressional district by a 13-point margin, that is the biggest gap in our poll since 1981. we're going to break down the numbers. we're going to kick off our election. we have donna brazile and mary matalin to debate. >> we look forward to xwha what they have to say. we begin with the weather. it's been a busy morning for sam champion. we're going to get to clayton sandell and the fires in colorado. first, ryan owens is in south padre island, texas, for the latest on hermine. good morning, ryan. >> reporter: robin, good morning to you. this storm popped up out of nowhere, caught a lot of people offguard over the long holiday weekend. fortunately, it turned out to be little more than one big rainmaker. hermine blew in as the ultimate uninvited holiday guest, spoiling the end of labor day for tens of thousands across south texas. here on south padre island, her winds were just shy of hurricane strength.

not enough to cause significant damage. it's just about 9:00 local time. and, boy, are the waves coming in. the storm just made landfall about 40 miles to the south in mexico. in addition to waves we're getting plenty of wind. but the real thing the storm will be remembered for, the rainfall. still a couple of hours away. two hours later and the wind has picked up. much closer to tropical storm-force winds now. in addition to all of the rain that's expected to stick around today, dumping four to eight inches on south texas. the storm is so large, its outer bands were felt nearly 400 miles off the texas coast in galveston, where swimmers were warned to stay out of the water. late monday, authorities say a 44-year-old woman drowned in rip currents stirred up by the tropical storm. the people of south texas feel a little picked on this hurricane season and who could blame them? this straum followed about the same path as hurricane alex did earlier in the sum season, the

difference is, alex stalled, that was a slower moving storm, hermine was nice enough to get out of here, taking most of her rain with her. robin? >> all right, ryan. thank you. and you're right, sam has been closely tracking hermine's path and watching another storm that is gaining strength. hey there, sam. >> morning, robin. it's that time of year. this is a mexican landfall in this storm and it's a u.s. problem. we'll show you pictures of galveston this morning, of the waves breaking in that area. all the way up the texas coast. well into texas, with the problems that will be texas flooding. here's a look at the rain. look at the yellow, the heaviest rain. and the center of circulation is west of corpus christi. there has been a big move on the storm toward the north. let's show you why it's not going to go away quickly. four to eight inches of rain. from laredo to corpus christi. austin, a little south of dallas as well. big-time texas flooding. watch hermine interact with this

stalled front that's north. look at oklahoma, north texas, in the hill country here. we could have a good, solid of 10, 12 inches of rain that just stays put. nothing is going to kick this out until about thursday. we'll go over all the weather patterns. and again, watching the tropics, active. there's a little wave off the coast of africa. gaston has weakened. not a lot to talk about. we'll watch them all. george? we're going to go now to the wildfires in colorado. firefighters worked through the night, trying to contain them as they spread rapidly through the rockies. high winds are kicking the flames up. causing authorities to evacuate scores of tlenhreatened homes and clayton sandell is in colorado with the latest. clayton? >> reporter: good morning, george. right now, there are 3,000 people evacuated from the fire zone. and for many of them, the news is not good. about two dozen structures, many homes, have been destroyed. and officials fear that number

could go much higher. flames plowed through steep mountain canyons driven by 45-mile-per-hour winds. so strong, air tankers and choppers were grounded. firefighters resorted to all-terrain vehicles to attack the fire from the ground. as residents used rakes and shovels for do-it-yourself firefighting. >> it was rolling over the hill here in big plumes. >> reporter: 1,000 homes were threatened. others destroyed. anna and tom leuer got out just in time. but they lost their house. >> we're trying to save our house. i left because it was so close. like from here to those trees, a wall of fire. it was the most amazing thing i've ever heard. >> it's all gone. >> reporter: even several firefighters working the front lines lost their own houses. for others, mandatory evacuations meant getting cut off from home. family and pets. >> how am i supposed to get up to my pets? >> reporter: to make matters worse, some people never got word to evacuate. the so-called reverse 911 system

designed to warn people to get out wasn't working. >> it did have a technical failure and was down for approximately two hours. but is back up. and we're using it currently. >> reporter: now, firefighters are hoping for calmer winds today so that those air tankers can get to the sky now that it's daybreak, trying to keep this wildfire from getting bigger. >> clayton, thank you very much. to politics. president obama announced a new $50 billion plan in hopes of jump-starting the economy. he made the announcement in a during a rousing speech in milwaukee on monday. but a new abc news/"washington post" poll shows there's big trouble ahead for the democrats. jake tapper is at the white house with more on this. good morning, jake. >> reporter: good morning, robin. that's right. some bad news for president obama. numerically, more americans say president obama's policies have hurt the economy than say they've helped. >> they're not always happy with me. they talk about me like a dog.

>> reporter: "they" are the powerful interests president obama says he's taking on. but they're not the only ones who are not fans of the president's these days. in a new abc news/"washington post" poll a record 57% of the american people say the president is doing a bad job on the economy overall. >> look around you. business is not going well. >> reporter: about that many disapprove of the way he's handled the deficit. disapproval for the president's job as a whole is at an all-time high. 52%, spiking 27 points since his taking office, the first time this poll has registered majority disapproval. >> they're bloated. they're too big. they don't have anybody to answer to. >> reporter: and the last time this many people said they were dissatisfied with the federal government was october 1992, and george h.w. bush was about to become a one-term president. that all paints a devastating picture for democrats, despite the way the president, in milwaukee for labor day, painted

a picture of republicans. >> somebody out here was yelling, yes, we can. remember? that was our slogan. their slogan is, no, we can't. no. no, no. >> reporter: two months away from midterms, many voters are like this woman a democratic construction worker in milwaukee, who said she was likely to vote republican this fall. >> the way the republican is going, i'm just worried. >> reporter: voters in general favor a generic republican candidate over a generic democrat by 13 points. and, george, that is the largest margin a generic republican has had over a generic democrat in the history of this poll since 1981, when president obama was in college. george? >> that's right, jake. it's been climbing all summer long. we're going to dig into the poll more. looking at one of the key components called the frustration index. that's something we designed earlier this year, trying to capture the anger people are

feeling towards washington. it measures how people feel about the economy, president obama, federal government, incumbents in congress. all year long, it's been holding steady quite high, 67%. look what happened in the last month. it's gone to 72% in the last month. going back 30 years, that's just about where it was in 1992, when president bush lost office. the only time it's been a lot higher was in 2008, when, of course, president obama won. now, what is most behind this is the economy. people hate where the economy is right now. more than 90% think it's in bad shape. we've also seen a huge jump in the last month in dissatisfaction with the federal government. it's up 14 points to 78 in the last month. and as jake pointed out, in his piece, president obama's disapproval rating is now up to 52%. that's the first time since he's been president that the majority of americans disapprove of the job he's doing. it's up five points in the last month. let's debate this all out

with two of our contributors. with donna brazile in washington and mary matalin in new orleans. thank you, both for joining us. donna, let me begin with you. this was supposed to be the recovery summer for democrats. that's what the white house said. what happened? >> george, this is a very tough political environment. there's no question that the economy is driving a lot of the frustration out there among voters. but you know, the generic numbers mean very little in this political environment. >> very little? >> george, we're talking about candidate "a" versus candidate "b." put a name in it. say it's donna versus mary. who will offer the best policies? pro growth, pro jobs policies. voters are looking for results. they're not looking to just give the democrats or the republicans, right now, a bone to chew on. >> but, mary, that is -- the president and the white house have tried to make this a choice

for several months, rather than a referendum on president obama. yet we saw over the course of the summer the polls got worse for the democrats. >> because of what donna just said. she's exactly right. they're looking for results. the summer kicked off with joe biden predicting a gain of 500,000 jobs per month. instead, we've lost 400,000 jobs. over the summer, in the spring, the president said we'll come to love, by the fall, health care. none of that has played out. this is -- you mentioned it. it is like '92. another dynamic happening in '92, wasn't just dissatisfaction with the economy. you remember that ross perot was a presence in that race, a big one, an unprecedented one. it was about the deficit, which is a framework for the size and the scope and the reach and the intrusion and the efficacy of government. that's replaying itself out right here. this is not a petulant, angry, anti-obama thing. this is against the reach, the overreach of the government on his watch and the one poert control of overreaching government.

>> donna, mary says this is not about obama. but something else we've seen in the polls is his personal standing is starting to decline over the last several months. you look at where he stands on things like empathy. does he share my values? that's down to 49%. does he understand my problems? that's down to 50%. when he took office, that was -- he was well above 70% on both counts. how much of what has gone wrong here, setting aside the economy, which is a big thing to set aside, is because of self-inflicted wounds from the white house? >> there's a lot of self-inflicted wounds. george, the democrats have done a great deal to bring this economy back from the brink of a great depression, yet, the white house and democrats have not been able to discuss the policies that have really kept americans in the workplace. i think the democrats need to do a couple of things and do them

right. first of all, they need to go out and explain what they've accomplished. how they spent the money that mary talks about, in terms of the deficit. they spent tax dollars trying to get businesses back to hiring people. and also, i think they have to rally the base so we can close the enthusiasm gap, so many voters out there who are now frustrated feel there's something to go out and vote for this fall. and i think it's too soon for the republicans to go out and measure the drapes. voters still blame them for the economic mess we're in. >> and, mary, the president does try to seem to put republicans in a box. he's come out with $300 million in business tax cuts over the next couple of days. isn't that going to put republicans in a position where they're going to have to do more than just say no? one thing that does show up in our poll, is only about half of americans believe that the republicans have a clear plan on what to do with the economy. >> the plans that republicans stand for, the framework of government that republicans

stand for, which is limited, which is freezing spending, cutting spending, all of that, which we get bored arguing about, because we've done it for so many years is has and what will be what people are for. >> these are tax cuts that the republicans have been for in the past. why can't they be for them now? >> because they're not part of a bigger framework. they're not going to jump-start small business. what small business and large business and families need is a certainty. what they could be for, and he could make this happen in 48 hours, is extending, in perpetuity, all of the bush tax cuts across the board. everybody would be for that. and there's many democrats who don't want to raise any taxes right now. that's the only incentives that would give business the certainty it needs to grow. can i go back to obama and sharing our values? he did something on the campaign trail that's very offputting. hi did it yesterday. it's not what people want to see in their president. it's whining. they call me a dog.

they talk about me like a dog. people want a winner. they don't want a whiner like that. that's one thing i would add to donna's smart litany of what democrats could be doing, should be doing. it starts with the president. >> we're just about out of time. donna and mary, i want you to weigh in on this. what are the chances that the republicans take the house and he ae? donna, you begin. >> it's 50/50, in this environment. politics today in washington, d.c. is poll-driven, like the boats in the venice canal. but it's unsteady in these rough waters. i want to say something in terms of the bush tax cuts. mary, they're unaffordable. we cannot afford more deficit spending. you said that. i believe that, as well. also, mary, you have to explain, what about privatizing social security? voucherizing medicare? republicans have a lot of other policies that the republicans need to figure out before they go up against the democrats. >> mary, ten seconds. >> we want to privatize and

incentivize the private sector. as much as we can and we're going to take over the house and it's nine out of ten we'll take out of the senate. go, saints. go, saints. >> repeat that, mary. repeat that laline go, saints. w> datl. repeat that. >> cut it off. we're going to have an exclusive interview with presidentbma. it will we be on these very tough poll numbers. we want to hear from you, as well. if you have a question you want rngyou have a question you want >> good morning, everyone. we're going to begin with a new warning from the top u.s. comadfhan general david petraeus says a florida preacher's plans to burn the koran is threatening the lives of all americans. martha raddatz is in kabul with the latest. >> reporter: good morning, juju. for the second day in a row, hundreds of protesters are gathering here today, to condemn the planned burning of a koran by that pastor in a tiny church in florida. but pastor terry jones was

already considered an enemy of islam. the shouts of long live islam and death to america have been echoing throughout kabul, coming after highly-inflammatory words from pastor terry jones. >> islam is of the devil. >> reporter: but it is not just muslims who are angered. this morning, the commander of all troops here in afghanistan, david petraeus, told "good morning america," he is outraged by the planned burning of the koran. >> it puts our soldiers in jeopardy, very likely. and i think, in fact, that images from such an activity could very well be used by extremists here and around the world. >> reporter: but pastor jones is standing his ground, saying he will go ahead with his plans to burn the koran. >> of course, we care. it would be tragical if because of this, one person died. but at the same time, we do not feel responsible for that. >> reporter: there have already been some attacks on the military. the afghan protesters, hurling rocks at a military vehicle.

juju? >> martha raddatz reporting from kabul. thank you. the bitter debate of a planned mosque near ground zero threatens to ee clint this weekend's events to commemorate the anniversary. robin will sit down with one of the supporters, mayor michael bloomberg. turning, now, to the middle east peace process. palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas wants more u.s. intervention. he's calling for the u.s. to stop israel from resuming settlement construction. israel's self-imposed construction freeze ends this month. abbas and israel's prime minister are scheduled to meet twice next week. well, they call him spider-dan. and for good reason. using just suction cups, stuntman dan goodwin managed to scale this 58-story building in downtown san francisco. goodwin took three hours to climb the millennium tower. police waited patiently and arrested him at the top for trespass. that's 7:19.

not before he unfurled the flag. >> thank you, juju, so much. time, again, for the weather. hello, sam. >> good morning, robin, george, juju. don't pull the new england beach chairs off the beach just yet. take a look at these numbers. 80 degrees in new york. 91 in washington, d.c. even buffalo and pittsburgh, showing in the 80s. a gorgeous next couple of days into new england. one front moving through that will bring some showers and scattered showers in indianapolis and pittsburgh involved in that. a quick look at the big board. the main story will be the heavy rain in central texas. it is a hill country issue over the next couple of days. it's close to dallas. it's close to houston, as well. very, very heavy rain.

and more from sam coming up. also ahead, royal recordings. did a british tabloid listen in on princess diana's phone calls? we have the latest on the bugging scandal targeting britain's royal family.

and look out. these jumping fish are no joke. why five states are suing the federal government to keep them out of their waters. that's in the great lakes. that's coming up. no oil has flowed into the gulf for weeks, but it's just the beginning of our work. i'm iris cross. bp has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf

and that includes keeping you informed. my job is to listen to the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel and restaurant workers and find ways to help. that means working with communities. we have 19 centers in 4 states. we've made over 120,000 claims payments, more than $375 million. we've committed $20 billion to an independent claims fund to cover lost income until people impacted can get back to work. we'll keep looking for oil, cleaning it up if we find it and restoring the gulf coast. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. bp is gonna be here until the oil is gone and the people and businesses are back to normal... until we make this right. long summer days, and not enough sleep. what i wouldn't do for a do-over. [ female announcer ] new neutrogena® clinical skincare. exclusive ion2 complex

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school, olinda elementary and grant elementary. city funding only covers this school year. a lot of people going back to school and work today. >> definitely. especially the westbound 580 ride through the altamont pass. that's where we have the slowest traffic this morning. 12 mph as you make your way into livermore. the drive time on 580 from 205 to 680 around 40 minutes now. we'll go outside and check a if you live shots for you. check out the bay bridge toll plaza backed up into the maze. 101 in san rafael, also crowded as you make your way southbound but it looks good through the golden gate bridge and 101 fine through millbrae.

>> the marine layer back. check out how much our temperatures drop, 15 degrees and 22 degrees cooler than yesterday. upper 50s along the coast with cloud cover. low to mid-60s san francisco and richmond with low 70s through most of the bay.

mid to upper 70s north and south bay and low to mid-80s east buy.

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nobody sells more real estate than re/max. visit remax.com today. she was one of the most-photographed women in the world. but how far were the tabloids really willing to go to get the scoop on princess diana? one of them is accused of hacking into the voicemail of her sons, prince william and prince harry. did they hack into her phone lines, as well? and get tapes of her most intimate conversations? we have tina brown here. we're going to talk to her. saying good morning, america. i'm george stephanopoulos. >> i keep wanting to say it's monday. good to be back. also this morning, the mass exodus from "american idol." randy jackson, he's the only one left. they're preparing the new season, as you know. there's no one sitting at the judge's table. i don't get this, george. so, you have the contestants going to try out.

what judges are going to be there? >> i guess we'll find out in a little bit. i heard j. lo is being considered? >> so many that are. also, fishing going on near lake michigan. flying fish. they're a youtube sensation right now. but local residents are not laughing. we'll tell you why states are suing to keep the flying fish out of their waters. we're going to begin with a new royal scandal. one of the world's most sensational tabloid newspapers is at the center of an explosive story about princess diana, powerful celebrities and politicians. miguel marquez has more. >> reporter: someone was listening in. the london top laid, "news of the world," somehow had the scoop that prince william pulled a tendon. then, it had verbatim of a vase voicemail on prince harry's phone. "the news of the world" said it was the work of a single

reporter and an investigator. but "the news of the world" has gone after the royals before. >> is that a deal? >> yeah. >> reporter: last may, a sting on the duchess of york. a "news of the world" reporter, posing as a businessman, seeking access to her husband. a hugely embarrassing affair for fergie. but there's been worse. in the late '80s, princess diana's intimate conversation with james gillby was recorded. the contents eventually reported by "the sun," another murdoch newspaper. it was a scandal that marked the beginning of the end of charles and diana. today's scandal reaches beyond the royal family and into the government itself. the former editor of "the news of the world," andy couldson, is now communications director to the prime minister. couldson denies any wrongdoing. but a former employee calls that a lie. >> i have stood by andy. and been requested to tap

phones. okay? or hack into them. >> reporter: a tabloid story the tabloid itself, now the headline. for "good morning america," i'm miguel marquez, in london. joining us now, someone who knows this world very well. tina brown wrote the best-selling "the diana chronicles." and is founder and editor in chief of "the dale by beast." >> good to be here, robin. >> you know that world inside and out. you have worked for publications there. >> i have worked for publications. and it's a teeming zoo of journalistic low-life, when you get to the tabloids in england, as regards to particularly the royal family and celebrities. really, anything goes. anything. paying off people. tapping phones. you know? simply going through the garbage. it is a really rough, competitive world. >> this did not surprise you at all? >> absolutely not. in fact, i think this is really

going to be a story that plays and plays. not just because andy coulson is working for the prime minister it goes way back to the time of princess diana. at the time i wrote my book "the diana chronicles," i went deeply into the issue of how the squiggygate phones were picked up. scanners picked up diana talking to her lover. a communications expert told me there was no technical way any scanner could have picked up any such signals at the time. and really moved it beyond a doubt that it could not have happened. it had to come from a land line, not a cellular phone. >> and we have to keep in mind, that this was during a time when princess diana was at the height

of popularity. and everyone was clamoring to get information they could on her. >> this was the most vicious moment of the tabloid wars in the '90s. it could get photographers immense sums of money. >> you wrote recently, always reading your stuff. did murdoch's hacks bug diana, too? and you have a theory you talk about in the article. >> diana was always saying she was bugged. in fact, she twice had her room in kensington palace swept for bugs. so convinced that the information coming out in the tabloids could only come -- >> who did she think it was bugging her? >> her husband's camp. the secret service. some sinister conspiracy in the palace. but the latest revelations, make me convinced it was not the secret service. it was the tabloids bugging her phone. >> it was the tabloids. and she thought it was her husband trying to get information. when we talk to british

authorities, they say, it's over. not looking into it anymore. but you feel this still has legs? >> i believe it really has legs. i believe it's been going on until very recently. i think it's part of the culture of the tabloids. and i think we're going to see the lid come off into something that's going to go on and on. >> are we going to soon be talking about something else? a royal wedding? that's the buzz again. >> i said earlier this year that i was convinced there was going to be an engagement soon. i think there will be one in the fall. it was postponed from june. now, likely in october, november. and very likely be a wedding next year. maybe because at the queen's jubilee, her anniversary's coming up. and prince philip's big birthday is coming up. they have to get this done. otherwise, poor she will have to wait another year. >> thank you, tina. >> thank you. and let's get to the weather again and sam. >> good morning, robin.

we're going to start with hermine and what happens in texas. it's going to be an awful lot of rain. we know there's a high pressure in the middle of the country. hermine has no chance but to work around that. it really is going to pull up through central texas. there's going to be a big area of strong to severe weather in texas. and it includes a tornado watch. everybody has to stay up with their local abc stations. we watch all of this rain sit in the texas hill country. it could be 12 inches of rain, plus, until thursday, the next front from the west, kicks it out of there. does the rain move up into oklahoma and kansas, as well? it's possible. and into the northwest, cooler temperatures. seattle 64. portland, 72. eugene at about 73, as well. cool. even though there's been some really warm summer days there, overall, if you take it on average, the west has a cool summer. opposed to the east coast, who had the warmest summer ever in some locations. that warmth continues today. most of the showers are

all that weather was brought to you by kellogg's frosted miniwheats. time for "american idol." there's no shortage of americans that want to go on tv to prove they have talent to win that show. but the problem for the show's producers is finding people to judge them. sharyn alfonsi explains. ♪ she bangs >> reporter: remember those famous "american idol" auditions? >> everything about it was grotesque. ♪ i can read your mind and i know your story ♪ >> reporter: the challenge of coming face-to-face with the judges. >> you have one of the worst voices i've heard in my life. >> reporter: this year, that's

not happening. thousands of would-be idols are auditions across the country. but sitting at the judges able this year, producers. weeks from the start of the season, "idol" still hasn't named its new judges. >> that was ridiculous. >> reporter: the show hit a low note last year, losing 5 million viewers and a whole lot of steam. critics say ellen was simply too nice. >> it was crazy, i think, in a bad way. >> reporter: and without paula's unpredictabili unpredictability. >> i wanted to squish you, squeeze your head off. dangle you from my rear-view mirror. >> reporter: even simon's sharp tongue couldn't save them. now, randy jackson is the only judge left. and "idol" producers are reportedly talking to everyone from elton john, to jennifer lopez, to steven tyler. tmz's camera caught up with the aerosmith frontman. >> they haven't called me yet.

>> reporter: critics say that now could save the show. >> we need someone to ignite that studio with something incendiary to say. >> did you think you could become the "american idol"? >> yes, sir. >> you're deaf. >> reporter: idle chatter doesn't cut it. for "good morning america," sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. when we come back, the curse of the flying fish. what will it take to finally give them the hook? [ girl ] bye mom! bye sweetie! you'll do great. [ laughs ] this is it! [ all ] 10...9...8... a new school year has so much potential! any resolutions? my resolution is the same as always; keep her full and focused with my fiber. [ all ] 3...2...1... happy school year! [ female announcer ] this school year, make a resolution to give your kid kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal. an excellent source of fiber from 100% whole grain. that helps keep them full so they can focus on the day ahead. keeps 'em full... keeps 'em focused.

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immigration. the five states are all in the great lakes. and the invader is a flying fish called the asian carp. barbara pinto has the story. >> reporter: on the illinois river, fish are flying. >> whoa. >> reporter: the airborne antics of the asian carp are a hit on youtube. but these jumping fish are no joke. they're dangerous projectiles to anyone on the water. is this a war? >> you might term it a war. we've been using all our weapons, so to speak, to fight these fish back. >> reporter: the bottom-feeding carp were imported from china decades ago. as a way to help clean southern fish hatcheries, but floodwaters washed them into the mighty mississippi. now, the population has exploded and moved upstream into the illinois river. a short swim from lake michigan. >> if they get in here, it would just wreak havoc on these jewels that we call the great lakes. >> reporter: asian carp are a looming threat to the $7 billion fishing industry here.

they spawn three times a year and consume 40% of their body weight in food every day. with no known predators, they can choke out the ecosystem for more desirable fish. that's exactly why michigan and four other states have filed suit. they want the army corps of engineers to barricade the locks on the only shipping channels between that and lake michigan effectively closing the doors to the lake and beyond. nearly 100 businesses are at stake, including john and jacque kindra's. they own a small company that tubs barges through the waterways. they worry their 19-year-old company could dry up. >> what they're talking about now is shutting down the avenue to get any business up here. there's no way to survive that. they're closing the path that all of our business comes from. >> reporter: in this ongoing war against asian carp, they tried poisoning the fish and even built an electric fence 50 miles downstream from lake michigan to stop the voracious

invaders from getting any closer but those filing suit worry that won't be enough. along the illinois river, beating back the asian carp is now sport. at the annual redneck fishing contest, they use nets, bats, anything to subdue a species that seems unstoppable. for "good morning america," barbara pinto, abc news, chicago. >> yeah, pete on line one. >> that was a baseball bat, wasn't it? >> yeah. that's a little bit extreme. >> oh, man. well, the crew loved it. >> but i guess the engine noise scares them. >> it makes them go. and the other problem is, you know, they eat so much. but nobody wants to eat them because they're sobonie. >> and they are owe so mean. who wants to eat that? >> but a baseball bat? i don't know. coming up, which anti-aging products really turn back the clock? "good housekeeping" reveals their picks ahead. d. [ sighs ]

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man: we need a sofa. something i can stretch out on! woman: ooh... that will go with those lamps my mother gave us. or we could get some new lamps. or we could get no sofa. negotiating, eh? you got it! how about a nice home for our tv? how about doors to hide that drive-in theater? how about a cowhide rug? yee-haw! and the snacks? get their own place. let the marathon begin!

♪ here he comes here comes speed racer ♪ got time for a little "picture of the morning" for you. >> love that song. >> give you an idea of what's to

come. you think you've seen everything? this is a fully-set queen anne dining table, around a racetrack. a british man wanted to set a world record for the fastest piece of furniture. i didn't know there was a category. >> 113 miles per hour. beat the record of a 92-mile-per-hour sofa. how do the tables stay? >> and where is the engine behind all that? he is now the world record holder at 113 miles per hour. and nothing even fell off the table. it's written here, but i'm not going to do it. gives new meaning to fast food. i -- you know. >> just busted the writer. oh, well. coming up, our new series "vanished" gives details about a mother who disappeared nine months ago today. are police closer to find susan powell? remember that case? he took the kids camping in the middle of the night. no closure solving the case today. >> it happened back in december. and the private side of

"project runway" star tim gunn. a lovely guy. he joins us live to dish on his family. to fashion's biggest stars. and his golden rules for making life work. make it work, tim. but nasonex relief may i say... bee-utiful! prescription nasonex is proven to help relieve indoor and outdoor nasal allergy symptoms like congestion, runny and itchy nose and sneezing. (announcer) side effects were generally mild and included headache. viral infection, sore throat, nosebleeds and coughing. ask your doctor about symptom relief with nasonex. and save up to $15 off your refills. go to nasonex.com for details, terms and conditions. as a va doctor, i have more time to spend with my patients. and that's the kind of attention our veterans deserve. ♪ (announcer) learn more about careers with today's va at vacareers.va.gov. ♪ and i feel like... [ female announcer ] kellogg's® wants to make kids happy

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>> in the east bay a police chase ended with a parolee. he drove his car into the mandela parkway before 1:00 this morning. officers had tried to stop the man from speeding but he tried to outrun them before his car became disabled. cooler forecast, mike. >> extremely cooler. 15 to 20 degrees cooler than yesterday. sunshine except for the coast and parts of san francisco. upper 60s there. mid to upper 60s richmond, oakland, san mateo. low to mid-70s the rest of us.

east bay 80s. temperatures cool 5 to 10 degrees tomorrow. >> a major motorcycle accident blocks three left lanes, southbound 880 past highway 22. traffic jammed through hayward. another motorcycle crash is in berkeley westbound at university. so still on the east shore and sniffling] ♪

i thought it was over here... ♪ [car horn honks] our outback always gets us there... ... sometimes it just takes us a little longer to get back. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ and earth wind and fire coming up this labor day weekend. i'm george stephanopoulos. >> i'm robin roberts. it's back to school. it's back to work. it's the unofficial start to fall. it feels wonderful. >> you can smell it in the air. >> it will be close to 90 here in new york. that's another story. we have a brand-new series in september. it's called "vanished." it looks at people like susan powell. remember her? she was the mom from utah, in december, who seemed to disappear in thin air. and we'll get new details about her from her friends and family and where the investigation stands. and also later, they promise

to turn back the clock. but do the lotions and potions really work? we enlisted "good housekeeping." they have the best age-defying products. most can be found right in your drugstore. we'll scoop them all up. >> i'm going shopping. also have a program note for everyone. tomorrow, dr. mehmet oz is going to be here. he's going to talk for the first time about a precancerous polyp found during his routine colonoscopy. he had it done. doctors tell you have to it done there. he found something. >> he changed the opening of the show because of this. we'll have him first here tomorrow on "gma." we begin with our new series "vanished." and in the case of susan powell, the young mother of two disappeared nine months ago today. her husband had a bizarre alibi, saying he had taken his toddlers on a winter camping trip, after midnight, when his wife disappeared. no one has been arrested. but josh powell was the only

person of interest ever named. and the investigation continues. ashleigh banfield walks us through this complicated mystery. >> reporter: guys, i'm in a peaceful cul-de-sac, just outside of salt lake city. this was the last place that susan powell was ever seen. we know from a witness that she spent much of the day in the living room. right behind that large window. but some time around 5:00, she got tired and fell asleep. josh decided to go out that evening, with the kids. and we know from some of the neighbors here in the cul-de-sac, would put him back here about 8:30 at night. josh, for his part, says some time around midnight, he decided to take the boys winter camping. the campsite's two hours away. he came back the next day. but susan wasn't with him. she wasn't in there, either. somehow, she just vanished. before she disappeared that snowy december day, susan powell

was a proud mother of two and an active member of her mormon church. yet, living a life with josh that her friends and families say was anything but picture-perfect. >> she told me that josh had to be with her in order for her to be able to drive the car with the boys in the car. >> he controlled their money, their car. you know, he wouldn't let her go to activities and things without his approval. >> they would have verbal fights. one of the other of them might bring up divorce. and susan would say, well, if we get divorced, they will give me the kids. i will get the kids. and josh would say, you will never get the kids. you will only get them over my dead body. >> reporter: 7:00 a.m. it was the powells' day care provider who first realized something was wrong. she calls the powells' home to see why the boys are absent. no answer. at 8:50, she knocks on the door. no answer. the police arrive and break a

window to gain access. they find susan's purse and keys and more intriguing, they find two fans drying a wet spot on the living room floor. at 4:00 p.m., family friend joanna owens gets josh on his cell. >> i said, where are you? he said, in west valley. i said, you got to get home. >> reporter: at 6:00 p.m., josh returns home. he is questioned by police. but information has remained locked under a d.a.-issued secrecy order. yet, josh powell talks to a local reporter, about a late-night winter camping trip with his two, young boys. >> what time did you go camping, would you say? >> you know, i got off to a pretty late start. >> 9:00-ish? something like that? >> no. it was later. >> and the report says neither you nor your wife called in sick. your thoughts on this?

>> i was thinking it was sunday. >> you got confused on what day it was. >> reporter: are you convinced that your brother did something? >> quite convinced of it. jennifer graves is josh powell's sister. >> josh's reaction was, don't talk to anybody. don't even talk to family. just get out. >> reporter: and what does that say to you? >> it says to me that he's done something. >> reporter: do the scenarios play through your mind? >> absolutely. >> reporter: and what do you think? >> you know, has he kip napped her? is he holding her somewhere? killed her? who knows? >> it has to be hard to say that about your own brother. >> it is difficult. but you have to remember that she was my sister. and she's gone. she's my friend. where is she?

haven't seen her for eight months. >> it's our understanding that if they divorced, that she was not going to get the children. that he would cause her physical bodily harm. >> reporter: susan feared this? >> she feared for her personal safety. >> reporter: within a month of susan's disappearance, josh powell packs up and moves his family 900 miles away to washington state. to the home of his father, steven. why would susan not want that? >> she was uncomfortable about that part of his family that lives in washington. >> as josh's relationship with his dad strengthened, his relationship with his wife got worse. >> reporter: in an e-mail, josh's father, steven, sent these statements to abc news. clearly, we think susan decided to leave. this has little to do with josh because their marriage was basically normal. there's no evidence to the contrary. although susan's parents would like the public to believe

otherwise. most of the time, it was a happy and stable relationship. however, susan had the occasional tendency to lose control. steven powell also suggested the negative comments were motivated by religion. saying, mormons attack those who drop out of mormonism. or as in josh's case, who associate with someone who has done so. josh powell has not been named a suspect in the case but remains the only person of interest. and though 275 days have passed since her disappearance, there have been no sightings of susan powell, dead or alive. >> whoever is responsible needs to realize that we're not going to quit. we're going to find out what the answers are. and it's not going to stop until the truth is known. >> reporter: for "good morning america," ashleigh banfield, abc news. >> boy, they're not going to stop. but it seems like the trail has gone cold. tomorrow on our series "vanished" we go inside the

disappear of lindsey baum, she was last seen leaving a friend's house more than a year ago. you can see more stories on missing people and how to help at abcnews.com/gma. juju's here with the rest of the morning's news. >> good morning, everyone. we begin with the fires raging out west. hundreds of people have been forced out of their homes this morning to escape fast-moving flames spreading through colorado canyons. dozens of homes have already been destroyed. and dozens more are threatened. fire crews have been working all night to contain the wildfire. but hot, dry and windy conditions are refueling those flames. president obama rolls out a new plan to boost the economy today. he'll propose giving businesses tax writeoffs for new investments and plans and equipment. a new abc news/"washington post" poll finds 57% of americans think the president is doing a bad job with the economy. it's the first time more disapproved than approved. overseas, now, actress angelina jolie arrived in pakistan's flood zone this

morning. she'll travel to the affected areas and meet with relief workers, as part of her role as a u.n. goodwill ambassador. millions in pakistan still need help recovering from last month's devastating flooding. actor john travolta and his wife, actress kelly preston, have decided not to continue with an appeal this in the extortion case relating to their son's death in the bahamas. matt gutman takes a look. >> reporter: the pain nearly consumed him, john travolta told our robin roberts. >> we've worked very hard since our loss. and our church has helped us tremendously. we're on a special program defined for loss. we've been help a tremendous amount. >> reporter: and so, travolta decided not to testify against two bahamians accused of blackmailing him. in a statement, he wrote, i concluded it was in my family's best interest not to return to the bahamas to testify at trial. the first one ended in mistrial. and now, charges dropped against

the two defendants accused of trying to extort $25 million from the family. the alleged plot centered around travolta's refusal to allow 16-year-old jett to be treated at a local hospital. >> all attempts were made to revive him. but were unsuccessful. and he died. it is probably the worst day in the life of mr. and mrs. travolta. >> reporter: at the trial, the actor revealed for the first time publicly, that his son was autistic and suffered seizures. travolta's wife, kelly preston, is now pregnant with the family's third child, another boy. due in november, preston has called him a, quote, healing baby. for "good morning america," matt gutman, abc news, miami. the faa is considering whether young children need separate seats and restraints while flying. transportation officials are making that recommendation. they're pointing out the plane crash that killed 14 people,

including 7 children, in montana last year. that plane only had ten seats. the now-former jetblue flight aden taunt, steven slater is due in a federal court today. he shot to fame when he exited an aircraft, following an argument with a passenger. he now faces charges including reckless endangerment and criminal mischief. if convicted, he could get seven years in prison. that's the news 11 minutes past the hour. time for the weather with sam champion. sam, 15 minutes of fame. ticking. >> i know. but, juju, provided us with a life-time of pull the slide, i'm getting out of here. a lifetime of that. hello. i feel like it's monday, juju. happy tuesday. >> happy tuesday, sam. >> i know. everybody feel good? it's a good crowd, even though now we're kind of trickling into fall. that was so hard for me to say. let's get to the boards. one or two things going on we

want to tell you about. as we head out the door, we thank you for your twitter pictures. we did a sky theme and we go international. look at the skies over england. sent to us on twitter this morning. and beautiful skies like daytona beach, florida. here's what it looks like on the board. we have problems in texas. this storm has that moved onshore will continue to move up through central texas. it is on cruise control right now. it will slow down. it will be flooding from san antonio, all the way north today. some of the heavier rainfall totals in the next couple of days. look what happens in new england. it's gorgeous, i say, at 90 degrees in new york city today. [

flawless new york city skies. we'll have more weather from times square in the next half hour. george and robin? >> sam, thanks. when we come back, we have "good housekeeping's" picks. the best products they've picked to help you look younger. well, max, first day... moh-ohm. -do you have your lunch? -yes. and you know where your classroom is? uh huh. mom, i can walk from here. what about your... mom, i got it. ♪ [ female announcer ] they're never too big for a little something sweet. kellogg's rice krispies treats. that can take so much out of you.

i feel like i have to wind myself up just to get out of bed. then...well, i have to keep winding myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the trouble concentrating, the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] if depression is taking so much out of you, ask your doctor about pristiq®. pristiq is a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain, serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens and young adults. pristiq is not approved for children under 18. do not take pristiq with maois. taking pristiq with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. tell your doctor about all your medications, including those for migraine, to avoid a potentially life-threatening condition. pristiq may cause or worsen high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or glaucoma. tell your doctor if you have heart disease or before you reduce or stop taking pristiq.

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the world can be a far less threatening place. take the scary out of life with travelers insurance... and see the world in a different light. anti-aging products are everywhere. but how do you know which ones really work? the "good housekeeping" research institute has the answers.

in their first-ever anti-aging awards, it's the largest scientific study of anti-aging products. more than 3,000 lab tests help determine which is the best. rosemary ellis, editor in chief of "good housekeeping," is here to share the results. i guess -- everyone think it's great for you. >> it's great to be here, robin. >> you tested 90 products. >> right. >> how did you go about narrowing it down to 90? and what did the tests involved? >> as you said, this is the biggest and most scientific test of products to make anti-aging claims. we're able to do that in the "good housekeeping" research institute. we have state-of-the-art labs there. they're full of ph.d.s and other scientists, who can test this stuff. we started, first of all, at looking at ingredients and formulations. and we had a panel of dermatologists across the country to tell us what to look for in the pucketts. there are hundreds of them. >> sure.

>> and it's frustrating to buy a product, take it home and find it doesn't work. we got it down to the 90 products that were most likely to succeed. across 12 categories, we created 3,000 lab tests. 5,600 before and after pictures. and we performed the tests on 820 women over the age of 35 to come up with the winners that we are showing you here this morning. >> leave it to "good housekeeping." >> a big undertaking. >> i know. there is a lot out there. we want to know if it works or not. let's start with some products that a lot of us use. eye cream. >> there's certain ways we tested these, using state-of-the-art equipment. this is the eye cream that won. it's olay prox. it's $42. it wasn't the priciest products that won. some of the companies have huge research and development budgets behind them. and it shows in these products. so, to measure a product like this, we used several machines.

there's the visia machine, which you put your face into. it counts your age spots and wrinkles. it can detect sun damage that hadn't showed up on your face yet. the cutometer looks at a face's elasticity. the corneometer measures the moisture your skin retains. that's what we used to measure this. >> what was it about this? >> our before and after pictures showed it worked really well. especially on under eye wrinkles. the women who tested this, said they saw reduction in crow's feet and puffiness. >> that's the eye cream. >> exactly. >> night cream. >> this is one of the categories we had a tie. >> the two of them. >> they tested equally well. they have slightly different strengths. this one is l'oreal paris advanced revitalift. it's $20.

it did well on forehead wrinkles. this is vichy lift. and it did well with the fine lines around your mouth and nose, which is a real sensitive aging spot. and everybody liked, not only how well they hydrated. they're terrifically good at hydrating your skin. they're light and had a subtle scent. >> sometimes they're so fragrant -- >> it can be the best moisture eisner the world. but if a woman doesn't like how it smells, they won't use it. this is in lab tests and real people tests. >> i love the real people tests. isn't it great they tried it out on real people? this is an anti-aging serum. >> what serums do is they even out the tone of your skin. and they firm your skin. there's a lot of them out there on the market. some of them are pricey. this is boots number 7 protect and perfect product.

it got a nearly perfect firming score. >> this is something that's catching on, boots. it's like a pharmacy. >> boots is a chain in england. it's available here in target stores. >> and it's popular. >> terrific products. >> the instant -- you just can't wait, rosemary. you have to get the wrinkle out of there. >> this is a product we all want immediately. instant wrinkle fillers. this is our second tie. olay regenerist did really well. as did a boots number 7 product. this one was $19. and the boots was $18. the regenerist did well on forehead. and boots did best around the eye. so, all terrific products. they all really work. >> and you use different skin types, complexions and doing types on different people. >> 35 to 85, different skin types and colors. we tested this across the board.

it was a huge, 18-month undertaking. we know this is the stuff that really works. >> rosemary, and "good housekeeping," thank you so much. so wonderful to have you with us. and thanks for doing all the legwork for us. >> sure thing. >> makes it easier for us. you can see these and more, body lotion, sunscreen, moisture. you were just talking to him, rosemary. tim gunn. he's coming up. losing weight clicked for me when i realized i could do the weight watchers plan entirely online. my gosh, i was a total couch potato; i think i shared a blood supply with the couch. one of the benefits of weight watchers online is that it's not only dealing with the food that i eat but it also deals with the exercise. with the iphone app, you can keep track of points. i can also journal my exercise while i'm out so that i can see what my budget for the day is. i never thought i would look like this. [ female announcer ] join now and get one month free. weight watchers online.

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with chili's $20 dinner for two. ♪ tonight the richmond city council will decide whether to spend $1.5 million to keep three local schools open for the 2012 school year. the schools in the west contra costa school district include john f. kennedy high school, olinda and grant elementary. city funding only covered this school year. the cleanup continues along the petaluma river following an oil spill estimating up to 600 gallons. the department of fish and game says an sold tugboat was being chopped up for scrap metal when it leaked yesterday. no dead wildlife has been found but the tides will likely slosh the oil around the estuary. traffic very busy, frances. >> very messy, slow around the

bay area. better news in hayward. all lanes open southbound 880 but traffic a crawl from 238. let's go outside and check a live camera shot for you. so light at the bay bridge toll plaza because everyone is held up where a motorcycle accident has been blocking

>> welcome back. i thoughted with start with the 24 hour change. that's the big story. 15 degrees cooler in concord and santa rosa to redwood city, it t 22 degrees cooler. bringing clouds to the coast, upper 60s there. 60s san francisco, oakland and

richmond. low to mid-70s until the east bay with low to mid-80s. ♪ every girl's crazy about a sharp-dressed man ♪ you know who we're talking about. we're talking about mr. tim gunn. you know him from "project runway." he has a wonderful, wonderful new book. he just really opens up about so many things. his life. about living your dream. >> it's supposed to be a guide to etiquette and style. it turned into a memoir. and tim opened up about his life. things we never knew about him before. he didn't hold back at all. and we're going to talk to him in just a minute. >> tim gunn and zz top. >> what a combination. we say good morning, america, on this tuesday morning. >> tim gunn may be the world's most fashionable men. we're going to talk to one of the world's most smartest men.

and one of the questions he tries to answer in his new book, do aliens exist? we're talking about stephen hawking. he asks do aliens exist? and also has made headlines that now, he's changed his mind. that we don't need god to explain the universe. >> wow. highly-controversial. but he is brilliant, as you said, george. and can brain surgery stop obesity? we'll show you a radical, new treatment that one woman has undergone to control her food obsession through her brain. >> martin bashir investigated that for "nightline." we'll talk to him in a minute. first of all, i'm going to take a stroll down here. one of the waciest show wackie have on tv. that's "wipe-out." jill wagner, ladies and gentlemen. a huge fan. huge fan. you all have seen "wipe-out." the obstacle course? >> how many want to be on the

show? yeah. >> they're vying for -- have you seen what they do to contestants on the show? jill, you're right there, up close and personal. i'm wincing at home. what's it like being there? >> i can't tell you. i feel like a big kid every day. it's fun. we want you to come on the show, robin. >> i don't want to get my hair wet. >> i promise you won't get your hair wet. >> but a lot is the sound-effects. you're thinking they're getting whacked around. you guys -- >> they are getting whacked around. no sound-effects. it's all in good fun. they come up smiling. and their kids are laughing. i know the kids love the show, right? how many kids do we have? you like "wipe-out" don't you? yeah. >> what's not to love. when they're getting punched on the board, just go down? >> you know? why are we hitting grandmas and moms and women in the face? >> you saw these people that want to be on the show, too. it's gaining a lot of momentum. >> yeah. >> you went into training for

this. you were not the punker? you were the punkee? >> i punk'd katie holmes pre-tom cruise. she lied to me. >> what did she do? >> i accused her of baiting my boyfriend. and she kind of lied to me. it's a long story. but she wound up lying to me. and she broke the woman's code. i said woman-to-woman. you know woman-to-woman? >> there's certain codes. we don't break that. you might break something else when you're doing "wipe-out." but you don't break the code. huge fan. you, john and john, keep it going. >> thank you so much. we're a big fan of you guys at "good morning america." >> i think this is your new contestant right here. can you get the sign? we hope to have you back. i know you have a brand-new show on tonight.

"wipe-out" at 8:00, on abc. jill wagner. sam champion would be really good on the obstacle course. sam? >> no, robin. we're watching jill go, why are we hitting old ladies and women in the face? i'm going, jill, that would be you. you. we were asking that. you can't ask that. it's your show. >> i feel like i'm part of you guys, though. i feel like i'm really the audience. >> oh. >> i'm representing the audience. i'm not doing these things. i'm the woman of yes. yes. >> one of two things going on we want you to know about as you head out the door this morning on a tuesday. i'm so almost ready to say monday. it is tuesday. a live shot of galveston. sunrise was beautiful there. and the waves have been a little tough around the pier. this storm that we're talking about that was hermine, is going to be a rainmaker for south and central texas. corpus christi, rockport,

loredo, austin, dallas. houston, you're on the verge of it. there will be flooding in some of these areas. all of those low-lying areas that carry too much water will do that in this storm. and the winds are tough. that's one of the reasons we have big fires in colorado area. the winds coming into a dry west. so, all that weather was brought to you by chili's. if i'm standing behind you, maybe the well-dressed tim gunn won't notice i don't have a jacket on. george? he's going to be kind about it. you know him as the tough mentor on "project runway."

but after eight seasons of dishing out wisdom to talented designers, tim gunn has it for the rest of us. he has written it down in the book "gunn's golden rule." sam, i feel your pain. i had a minipanic attack. right as i sat down, i realized my shoes weren't well enough shined. and in the book, you reveal what you think about other people's outfits. that's what everybody's worried about when they meet you. >> you know, george, i'm really not judgemental. unless i'm asked to be. i assume that people accept responsibility for how they present themselves to the world. and you look very dapper. >> thank you very much. talking to robin about this earlier, about how this book transformed in the writing, really. it started out as a guide to life. the rules of making life work. but it turned into something of a memoir. how did it happen? >> it was an evolutionary process. i began writing the book as an antidote to bad behavior, which is in abundance around us.

and also a guide to modern matters for the digital age. and i began to invoke personal anecdotes, things i've experienced that have happened to me. and i was apprehensive about how appropriate or inappropriate that would be, in terms of the whole context of the book. and my wonderful book agent, peter steinberg, and the people at gallery books and simon & schuster were supportive. and it became a modern matters/memoir book. >> i would imagine that some of it was quite painful to write. you write about your relationship with your parents. and that is not a happy story. >> no, it's not. and i have to tell you, though, so many people approach me and share very personal, very intimate information. and i thoughts, people really don't know much about me. and this book was an opportunity to, in a way, give back and to share with people the fact that i have my own issues.

and i have my own issues that i needed to ascend beyond. >> your mom was very remote. >> well, my mother loves me. i have no question about that. and i love her unconditionally. but she's not a very demonstrative person emotionally. and that's the way it is. >> and your father, you wonder in the book why your father never taught you how to fight. i guess, a bit puzzling, given the fact that he was one of the top person in the fbi. >> yes. >> with herbert hoover. >> j. edgar hoover. >> duh. >> one of those hoovers. >> right. >> my father is curious. he was a very macho guy. and a big sports enthusiast. and i was his nerdy kid. and i was taunted and bullied and picked on.

and, no. he never did teach me how to fight. and, frankly, things happen for a reason. and i'm just as happy about it. this is when your visceral instincts kick in. that's why i'm a biter and a hair-puller. >> let's get to some of the rules you talk about in the book. one of the most important ones you say is be nice to waiters. >> yes. absolutely. i believe in being nice to everyone and respecting everyone. and i always say, whenever you're about to engage in a relationship, whether it's a work relationship or a personal relationship or just a friendship, go out for a meal. you'll find out a lot about the other person by how they treat the wait staff, the people around them. and it's just very important to acknowledge that this individual has a job to do. and part of their job is engaging with you and helping you. so, be nice to them. and be respectful of them. and communicate, positively. >> yet, when you have a dinner party, according to you, invite

at least one person who is widely disliked among your crowd of people. what is that about? >> well, it allows you to have that one person you can focus on and sort of raise an eyebrow about and wink about. my niece and i have this ongoing conspiracy about this. when we're at a family gathering, there needs to be one person about whom there's antipithy, one person to pick upon. >> offense is defense. >> exactly. >> on last week's show, there's a clip that's just burning up the internet. it seemed like you were right on the edge of losing it. lit's take a look. >> i have a few words for team luxe. i fundamentally do not understand your behavior and demeanor and affect on the runway. i don't get it.

i don't know why you allowed gretchen to manipulate control and bully you. i don't understand it. >> what was going on there? >> well, the team challenges are always very demanding. and in this particular case, this team challenge did not have a leader. and gretchen assumed, not only a leadership position, but a dictatorship position, in my view. and that alone was enough of an issue for me. but the fact that the other designers rolled over like little puppies and allowed her to dictate and to manipulate them and to really rob them of who they are as designers at the very core, not only just perp x perplexing to me. i was flabbergasted by the entire thing. and i felt the need to say so. >> did they say anything

offcamera? >> we don't have offcamera to be perfectly honest. when i leave them, i left them on camera. and when i return to them, i return on camera. it's been quite a number of weeks since that happened. and gretchen has thanked me. it was a wake-up call, i needed it. >> tim gunn, thanks very much. the book is called "gunn's golden rule." we posted a chapter on our website,eaea (phone ringing) hey college girl. hey mom. i just got your package. great. yea, mom you're the best. i thought you would like it. so, how are your classes, are you enjoying them?

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he has been called the smartest man in the world. now, scientist stephen hawking is tackling some of the toughest questions. do aliens really exist? is there a god? our nick watt sat down for a require interview. good morning, nick. >> reporter: this is it. "the grand design." i'm reading it slowly, i admit. and in it, hawking and his co-author make a very, very bold statement. apparently our universe was created from nothing. hawking writes in his book, it is not necessary to invoke god to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going. can you prove that god does not exist? or just that the universe could have been created without one?

>> one can't move that god doesn't exist. but science makes god unnecessary. the laws of physics can explain the universe, without the need for a creator. >> reporter: because there is a law such as gravity, he writes, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. there was, hawking says, no hand of god. when will the human race, do you think, meet its end? are we destined to fail? >> life in the universe will cease to be possible when the universe becomes cold, dark and empty, in about 15 billion years. but the real danger is that the human race will destroy itself in a much shorter time scale. to have the chance of long-term survival, we will have to spread out into space. >> liftoff of apollo 11. >> that looks good. >> reporter: to colonize other

planets, so we don't fight to the death over land and resources. and in our universe, are we alone? >> life appears spontaneously on earth, or nearby, within the last 10 billion years. so, what would expect life to appear elsewhere in the universe? even though it might be a long way away. there don't seem to be any advanced intelligent aliens in our region of the galaxy. or we would have heard their radio signals. >> reporter: hawking, our world's most famous scientist, was diagnosed with lou gehrig's disease in his 20s. he suffered over 40 years. he is now totally paralyzed, save for a few facial movements. >> this explains the mysteries of the universe. but it's cold and unemotional. so, i try not to let it affect

my family life. >> reporter: he has three children and one grandchild. how do you read? research? and how long does it take you to actually write? >> scientific papers, i read them online. and i read them on my computer screen. fiction is not to be available in electronics form. so, i like to be read to. i still prefer this. one can now buy it online. writing is very slow. but that gives me time to choose my words carefully. >> reporter: why do so many human beings seem to need a god? >> people want to think there is something they can relate to and which can make them feel they are not isolated, but a part of the larger whole. >> reporter: hawking has no need for a god. but it will take years, generations, centuries, perhaps, for scientists to test his theory, that our world was created by physics alone.

now, hawking hasn't always felt this way. but he says the past 20 years of research and observation has led him to believe, as he told me, that god is, i quote, unnecessary. robin? >> wow. fascinating. all right, nick. thank you very much. and you can read some of hawking's answers to the universe's greatest mysteries in on excerpt to the book on abcnews.com/gma. on excerpt to the book on abcnews.com/gma. next, is the cure to obesity they can make all the difference for the child who finally solved that math problem... for the student who always dreamed about college... or the debate club that won state. they are teachers and school professionals providing our children the individual attention that means results... working with parents as partners to improve learning...

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twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. so, could the cure for obesity be hidden deep in your mind? doctors now say they may have discovered a way to turn off your hunger from removing the feeling of hunger from your brain. martin bashir investigates. >> reporter: karen is about to have brain surgery to combat her morbid obesity. it's a radical, new treatment. and for carol, an experimental

result. neurosurgeon donald whiting is leading the charge. he'll target the hyperthalamus, the hunger center of her brain. because she's awake, she can give them instant feedback. >> he said, if you get the urge for any kind of foods or anything, be sure and tell us. >> i sure could use a pepsi right now. all at once, i wanted a pepsi so bad. i said, can i please have a pepsi? >> reporter: doctors are literally controlling carol's stomach through her brain. >> i'm getting -- >> are you? okay. feel nervous or anxious? >> i think it's getting a little worse. >> reporter: she fluctuates between feelings of nausea and normality, a virtual puppet for doctors, who see this as confirmation they found their target. >> it's really pretty neat to make the brain do what you want it to do.

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president's coming up thursday. but tomorrow, you're going to talk to mayor bloomberg, exclusive interview. >> i'm going to head out and talk to him. and we have steve martin. terry mcmillan. >> and dr. oz. all-star cast tomorrow. happy birthday. >> have a great day, everyone.

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hmm? what? anyone else want you to quit? me! i want me to quit. tdd# 800-933-4833 - ( rings ) - woman: smokers' helpline. oh, hi, it's me. investigators will resume searching for a fifth day at a pittsburgh landfill for a missing hercules man. he may be the fifth victim of a man who went on a murder streak last week. a man suspected of keeping explosives in his home hopes a judge will reduce his bail this

morning. police discovered bomb-making materials inside his home and also found the body of his wife and that of another woman. investigators believe both victims are connected to valdemoro after a high-speed chase. mike has a look at our forecast. >> eric, thank you very much. good morning to you. see the gray sky behind eric. the marine layer is back and so is cooler conditions. 15 to 22 degrees cooler this morning. from 62 san francisco to 59 half moon bay. 67 oakland with low to mid-70s through the bay and south bay. mid to upper 70s the north bay and low 80s in the east bay valleys. clouds, maybe drizzle along the coast and temperatures tomorrow 5 to 10 degrees cooler than today. frances. >> mike, a couple accidents on the peninsula, southbound 101 ot third so 280 might be a better bet there. especially slow everywhere around the bay area with people heading back to work, back to school. westbound 80 jammed from berkeley th